Automatic regulating apparatus for electrical precipitation systems.



, W. W. STRONG.

AUTOMATIC BEGULATING APPARATUS FOR ELECTRICAL PRECIPITATION SYSTEMS.

APPLICATION FILED FEB. 11,1913.

1 120,560, Patented Dec. 8, 1914 A? (jg V 1 19f 2 F7 L 1 5:? A

D A 10 1 a I A WITNESSES I INVENTOR We W M UNITED sTAIEefIjaTENT orrren.

.wama STRONG; or rmsauao'fi', i iitirsnvmr'a, Assroxon we a. is

HELLON, or rmsnuaon, rpuuarnvam auronano ancuu'rme uraaarusroa-nwcrnrcan rnncrrrranou SYBTEHB.

Specification c! Lctterc Intent.

Patented Dec. 8, 1914.

Application fil ed February 11, 1813. Serial llc.,747,78d.

' T0 ma concern:

the electromagnetic fie d.

Be it known t at 1, WILLIAM WALKm S'rnoNa, 10. citizen of the United States, residing at Pittsburgh, in the county of Alle-- gheny and State of Penn lvania, have in- .vented new and useful l Automatic Regulatin Apparatus for Electrical Precipitation ystems, of which the following is, a specification.

This invention relates to an automatic regulating apparatus for electrical precipitation systems. I

. It is well known that various electrical methods have been used for the tion of suspended solid and liquid matter from gases and fluids. The method used for this precipitation may depend in part upon the action of the varying electromagnetic field upon the particles, e the suspended particles charged or not. If the particles are not charged, then their dielectric and magnetic properties ma affect the action of If the particles are charg'g'ed and nonmagnetic, then the action of the electric field is the more important. If the particles are magnetic, the

field is very intense, being the active elecvtrode, and the one near which the electric field is comparatively weak, being the grounded electrode. The production of a brush or corona discharge results in the loss of a considerable amount of electrical energy, the loss varying with the area of active electrode surface used. This loss of energy takes place whether suspended particles are present or absent in the .gas or fluid and in some cases Ihave found this loss of energy to be greater when no suspended particles are present at all.

. The primary object of the present invention is to provide an apparatus that will throw on the high tension electric current used for separating the suspended articles from the fluid or gaseous bodies on y when suspended matter of a certain density exists in these bodies. An apparatus of this ty e is particularly useful in cases where the mprovements in recipitaregion of the suspende density. of the suspended matter varies greatly at different times. ticularly to the electrical recipitation of smoke, since the density 0 smoke tunnels, stacks, round houses, etc., varies greatly, bemgvery small or even entirely absent at tunes, and at other times being very dense. Many city ordinances forbid the production of smoke of a certain density, say adensity greater than N o. 2 on the Ringleman scale. It might, therefore, only be necessary to apply the precipitating electrical current when the density of the smoke was greater than No. 2 accordin to this scale. Cases similar to this arise in the precipitation of various kinds of dust, fumes, smoke, etc.

The invention will be hereinafter fully set forth and particularly pointed out in the claims.

In the accompanying drawing :Figure 1 is a diagrammatic View illustratin my invention. Fig. 2 is a similar view illustratingra modification.

. here are various means that may be employed to secure the regulation of precipitating apparatus as contemplated by my invention. For instance, if a source of constant light intensity is (placed in or near the matter, and a beam of light is directedthrough the matter, some of this light will be absorbed or scattered This applies parby the suspended matter. The amount of light thus absorbed will depend upon the quantity and distribution of the sus ended matter in the region of the beam 0. light. It is obvious that other sources of radiation such as' those of electromagnetic waves, ultraviolet light restrahlen or radiant heat, might be used in a like manner. Situated in a suitable position to receive this radiation of light, radiant heat or electromagnetic waves is a suitable receiving device such as a thermopile, selenium cell, coherer, or the like, the nature of the receiving device depending upon the kind, intensity and variation in the said radiation. In the use of optical devices a great deal of trouble is experienced in practice due to the formation of deposits of the suspended matter on the various surfaces through whichthe radiation may pass. I have succeeded in overcoming some of these difiiculties by using a and 11 is the prima tain the potential beam of radiation is independent of the deposition of matter. upon surfaces. near the source of said radiation. 1 Q

In the present case 1 have illustrated two forms of apparatus embodyingqmyzmven tion. These illustrations are ty ical, ,how-

ever, and show the generality of t e irit of my invention. It will be understoo therefore, that I do not desire to limit myselfto the exact forms shown and described.; I

Referring to t e drawing, 10 designatesla generator of any suitable or preferred type, low potential circuit ofa transformer 12. he high potential coil 14 of the transformer maybe connected with a rectifyin device 15 of any preferred con-.

struction, t

Located within the stack orconduit 17 is v a Nernst glower, diagrammatically illustrated at 20, connected with a source of potential 21 through the roper resistance 22. The radiation from the crust g ower passes through the gases in conduit 1 and .is then focused by aconcave mirror 23 upon any suitable device that will respond to variations in the intensity of the glower 20 as resulting'from the'absorption of li ht and heat by the smoke, fumes or dust t at may be present in conduit 17 A device .of this kind is conventionallyfillustrated at 24: and may consist of a radiomicrometer, a selenium cell, etc.,' the same being connected up with the battery 19,. as illustrated. In 0 the variations in the intensity of t e radiation fromthe Nernst lower 20 causes a variation in the current 1n the absorbing de-' vice 24, battery 19 and relay 18, proportional to the amount of suspended matter passing through the conduit 17. When the. density of the suspended matter has reached a certain value the relay 18 will be operated to throw on the current to the generator 10,- whereupon precipitation of the suspended particles takes place at the electrodes 15 and 16, and thelatter remain active until the density of the suspended articles passing through conduit 17 is sufliciently reduced to cause the relay to cut out the generator 10. In Fig. 2, I have illustrated my invention inthe form of an apparatus for producing electromagnetic radiations. In this form of the invention I provide a generator 30 and a transformer 31, and electrodes 32, 33arranged within the conduit 17 to form a spark gap, said electrodes being connected ration,

with the high potential coil'of the transformerthrough the proper amount of resistance 34, self-1nductance'35, and condensers 36, 37. 'A' wireless tele locatedso. as. to receive ectroma eticradi at1ons that ma be emitted-b t e said gap --and controls t e circuit of t 0 battery 19. If R represents the resistance of the whole circuitincluding the spark ap '32, 33, L the total self induction, and O t etotal capacity, then the theory of. the dischar' -e at presentaccepted indicates that the dlscharge will be oscillatory when R/, "is greater than the values-of C, L and B being in-.

stantaneous ones. In other words, it is a well known fact that the conditions 'necessary for the production of electric oscillatlon 1n a circuit are that (1)' the discharge shall be ve sudden, as in the case of a spark; and 82) the self induction shall. bear a definite relation to the resistance and'capacity of the circuit; That is, oscillations occur when L xfc .When this'is the case. the frequency N of, the oscillation is or. if R? is negligible compared N becomes and the period If the conditions exist no electric oscillations can'be obtained,

and the discharge becomes a periodic one.

aph coherer 38 is It is quite evident that a change in the character capacity -of the gases or fluid medium between the discharge knobs of the spark gap, automat cally'va'ries the ohmic IGSiSi'r. ance R of'thls gap, and changes the value;

of R in the expression Hence it is seen that the electric oscillation may be produced by a proper adjustment of'the 'valuesL and O to accompanythe variations roduced in R. The electric circuit is one, or which C, L and R have been predetermined so that the presence or absence of suspended matter between the electrodes 32, 33, determines whether .the

discharge between said electrodes is oscil- I pended matter.

latory or not. The circuit from the generator 30 to the electrodes 32, 33 is so constructed that a flammatory discharge may be produced between said electrodes when the bodies passing through the conduit 17 contain no suspended matter, or at least suspended matter of less than a predetermined density. Under these conditions little or no electromagnetic radiation of high frequency is emitted by the discharge. When the amount of the suspended matter exceeds the predetermined value, the discharge between the electrodes 32, 33 become oscillatory and electromagnetic radiations of high frequency are emitted. The apparatus for absorbing electromagnetic waves illustrated at 38 may be a coherer such as is used in wireless telegraphy for the detection of electromagnetic waves of high frequency. When there is no radiation, or at least a comparatively weakv electromagnetic radiation from the oscillatory discharge between the electrodes 32, 33, no current flows in the circuit 19, 38, 18. When there is suspended matter present in the conduit 17 electromagnetic radiations of high frequency are emitted by the electrodes 32, 33, and the coherer 38 becomes a comparatively good conductor due to the absorption" of the electromagnetic radiations from 32, 33 whereupon the relay 18 is operated in an obvious manner.

Having thus explained the nature of my invention and described an operative manner of constructing and using the same, although without attempting to set forth all of the forms in which it may be made, what I claim is 1. An improvement in a paratus for removing suspended matter rom bodies containing the same, comprising a conduit, a source of radiation within said conduit past which and in contact with which said bodies are caused to travel, and means for detecting changes in the intensity of the radiation due to variations in the density of the sus- 2. The combination with means for separating suspended matter from bodies containing the same, of a conduit, a source of radiation within said conduit past which and in contact with which said bodies are caused to travel, means for detecting changes in the intensity of the radiation due to variations in the density of the suspended matter, and means controlled by said detecting means for governing the operation of said separating means.

3. An improvement in a paratus for removing suspended matter rom bodies con taining the same, comprising a conduit, a source of radiation within said conduit past which and in contact with which said bodies are caused to travel, and a selenium cell for detecting changes in the intensity of the radiation due to variations in the density of the suspended matter.

As an improvement in apparatus for separating suspended matter from bodies containing the same, a regulating apparatus comprising a conduit through which said bodies are caused to travel, aQsource of light within said conduit and arranged to direct radiation through the bodies containing the suspended matter, means for detecting changes in the intensity of the radiation due to variations in the density of the suspended matter, and a curved mirror for directing the rays of light upon'said detecting means.

5. The combination with means for separating suspended matter from bodies containing' the same, and a controlling device therefor, of a conduit, a source of radiation within said conduit ast which and in contact with which sai bodies are caused to travel, means for detecting changes in the intensity of the radiation due to variations in the density of the suspended matter, and means controlled by said detecting means for operating said controllingdevice.

6. The combination with an electrical apparatus for removing suspended matter from bodies containing the same, of a conduit through which said bodies are caused to travel, a source of light radiation within said conduit, means for causing suspended matter to absorb radiation emitted by said source, a local circuit, means in said circuit for detecting changes in the intensity of the light radiation due to variations in the density of the suspended matter, and a relay in said local circuit and controlling said separating apparatus.

In testimony whereof I have hereuntoset my hand in presence of two subscribmg witnesses.

WILLIAM WALKER STRONG.

Witnesses: W. J. Moons, ARTHUR FLEMING Nnsnrr- 

